WWE Survivor Series 2017 has garnered a lot of attention so far in the buildup towards the event with the brand supremacy battles between Raw and SmackDown.
Raw vs. SmackDown is the main driving force of WWE Survivor Series 2017, but the rest of the card will go a long way in determining if the pay-per-view will be a success or not. And one match, in particular, could have a loud say in that.
With several champion vs. champion matches set for Survivor Series, Raw’s Universal Champion Brock Lesnar is set to battle SmackDown’s WWE Champion Jinder Mahal. Despite appearing to be a big match on paper, this match has all the makings of being a disaster for the event.
Mahal’s WWE Championship reign has run its course and pitting him against an individual who rarely competes in 10 plus minute, one-on-one matches anymore won’t do Mahal any favors. Lesnar’s in-ring style has become extremely one-dimensional and Mahal has yet to have a standout match as WWE Champion.
If the WWE wants to make Mahal look good, this is the worst possible idea in accomplishing that. If Mahal wins, it makes Lesnar, the most dominant force in the WWE, look weak. And if Lesnar wins, it further solidifies Mahal’s position of not being a truly legitimate WWE Champion. There’s not a good outcome to be found with this match, but a recent development could save this world champion vs. world champion match after all.
It was announced recently that The Phenomenal AJ Styles will challenge Mahal for the WWE Championship on the Nov. 7 edition of SmackDown. Styles has been entangled in a feud with Mahal in recent weeks and it was unknown when he would get his chance at the WWE Championship.
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And coincidentally, Styles’ WWE Championship shot could help save one of Survivor Series’ biggest matches. If the WWE realizes Mahal vs. Lesnar is a bad idea, it could take the belt off of Mahal in favor of Styles. The Phenomenal One winning the WWE Championship from Mahal on the upcoming SmackDown would be a great decision for the short term and long term.
Mahal vs. Lesnar screams snooze-fest, but Styles vs. Lesnar screams intrigue. The Phenomenal One is arguably the best superstar in the WWE today and his greatness has known no bounds over the past several months. Styles can have a quality match with anybody and not only would looking impressive against Lesnar help Styles, it would help Lesnar as well.
The intrigue for the Universal Champion vs. WWE Champion match would raise significantly if Styles is the WWE Champion. The WWE converted on the Styles vs. Finn Balor dream match at TLC and Styles vs. Lesnar is a dream match that many wrestling fans have wanted to see for a long time.
Ditching Mahal vs. Lesnar after the building of it up to this point might not be in the cards for the WWE, but if the company wants the most out of Survivor Series, Styles should defeat Mahal for the WWE Championship on SmackDown. The WWE has made last-minute corrections in the past, so it can still happen this time around.
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It’ s never too late for changes in the WWE and Survivor Series would benefit tremendously if the event’s marquee champion vs. champion match featured a phenomenal battle against a beast incarnate.